


The Drunk and the Restless

by eldergardenshipping (dozydin_keyfree)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: "Things you said when you were drunk", Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Breaking and Entering, Broken Promises, Bruises, Don’t copy to another site, Drunken Shenanigans, Drunkenness, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, M/M, Out of Character, Prompt Fic, Vomiting, also Looker uses a plunger as a weapon, bumps, probably, scrapes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 15:49:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20028355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dozydin_keyfree/pseuds/eldergardenshipping
Summary: After 7 years of silence, Nanu and Looker unofficially reunite for the UB Mission in Alola. Nanu isn't thrilled and as soon as he gets the chance, he tries to drown his feelings in booze. He gets into trouble and seeks out safety in the arms of someone he trusts. He finally lets out all his feelings.Prompt Fic from tumblr.





	The Drunk and the Restless

Anger.

Well hidden during the entire conversation about Fallers with Looker and Anabel was one emotion he had and knew how to name. The rest he didn’t. 

It hadn’t mattered then, though. He had to focus on the UBs. A repeat of history because neither had the heart, or the guts to tell Anabel exactly what she was to Interpol years ago. Until that day, at least; not that the damage hadn’t already been done.

To Looker’s surprise, she took it well. Nanu already knew she found out on her own. An amnesiac with Chief-level access to all the information needed to investigate what her mentors hid from her? all this time? No repercussions from any higher-ups? 

Only a fool would believe she hadn’t seized that opportunity.

Nanu wasn’t bothered. He’d do the same, if not something much more reckless. He might’ve been proud of her restraint if he weren’t preoccupied. No, Nanu’s only surprise was that she still cared for them despite it. Even though he knew better, he felt pitied and it engulfed his heart like a seviper strangling its prey the longer they dallied. So he left, using the excuse that he had to protect his island.

His island was in danger, so it wasn’t a lie, with a familiar UB from the past blocking Bulu’s ruins and neither he nor his Tapu were pleased with such a destructive, unwanted guest so close to sacred grounds. His captains and the citizens were certainly making noise in response to the commotion.

Yet, as with all Nanu’s excuses, it wasn’t the whole truth either.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


A week had passed and all the UB’s had finally been caught. Nanu’s mind buzzed with anxiety he kept masked behind laidback slouches and apathetic gazes, but settled on nothing he hoped to pin-point. Emotions had been bottled, boiling since he first laid eyes on his old partner, darkening the circles under his eyes and invading his thoughts, morphing them into excruciatingly annoying static. His heart begged for answers. His mind would rather stop all his necessary functions.

After a long day of scouting the entirety of Ula’ula, determining the amount of damage done, taking statements and listening to people vent about everything under the sun that just didn’t. want. to  _ set… _ Nanu absentmindedly wandered around, finding himself in Malie City’s local bar before he could order his feet to go elsewhere. He’d snapped out of his zombie-like state just as the door had smacked him on his rear, further nudging him inside. 

It’d been years since he last had a drink. Decades, if memory served. Which, it didn’t and he was most certainly wrong, but neither Hala or Looker were there to correct him. Nor were they there to stop him.

Glassy crimson eyes stared at the worn wooden flooring for a second before temptation lapped at his senses, shrugging off his jacket and lazily hanging it on the first hook. Nanu pulled himself into a stool away from the evening crowd, made his order and mindlessly drank until his brain felt a different kind of buzz. He kept going, drowning out the buzzing entirely, the sounds of the growing crowd around him, the dim bar lights and nearly his immediate surroundings. Eventually he was cut off because the bar closed for the night.

Stumbling into the street, then kissing the concrete when he couldn’t find his balance, the old cop laid on the ground and sniffled. This would have been fine,  _ If _ Nanu wasn’t in a more emotionally unstable state of mind than usual. and alone. Without the four walls of the bar around him, he was hyper aware of that.

Nanu’s shot nerves screamed at him that he was in danger and like a switch, his alcohol-muddled brain began thinking of safe places or people. When he managed to stand up without falling on his ass, he began to wobble around, believing moving was better than sitting and waiting for danger to come for him. Drunkenly bumbling his way through the city and into…. what route was h-

_ Clink! _ Time to smooch a pole.

“Shfffuckin’.... bicth.”

Even when the ringing sound finally subsided, his vision remained wobbly and he teetered in place as he attempted a murderous glaring battle with the route sign that magically appeared and popped his mouth, ready to fight it.

He lost.

The sign had intimidation tactics of its own. Standing still, being blue and telling him what route he was entering. The _audacity_. _The_ _horror_.

Nanu backed down relatively quickly, muffledly grumble-whimpering in defeat. In doing so, he staggered backwards, a pair of dainty hands catching him. It took several tries from this lady calling his name for him to realize he wasn’t moving anymore and that someone was holding onto him. His head fell back to look at her, seeing shades of fuzzy purple blobs against the night sky.

“Wha’sha purble Vulpix doin’ here?” He pointed at her, nearly poking her eye with his lack of depth perception. She moved her face to avoid getting blinded, frowning in disappointment at him.

“Ye.. Youse shhould be ‘n da gard’n.. das swhere pwreddy dings live!”

The woman gave him a look of tired exasperation, mumbling under her breath “Oh my arceus, you’re  _ hammered _ .”

She finally addressed him, trying to be stern as she opened her mouth. She didn’t have the heart.

A sigh of defeat left her lips. Her gaze softened, seeing Nanu’s dopey pout and crossed eyes as he tried to focus on her. No doubt trying to figure out who she was.

“Mr. Nanu, it’s Anabel. Remember me?” 

Anabel wasn’t very pleased with his answer, especially not paired with his dumbfounded expression.

“Oh ma bululuu.. ish talkin’!”

The Interpol agent let out a puff of mild annoyance, then grabbed onto his shoulders gently, but firmly. Despite the irksome situation, it also made her snort, just a tad. She’d heard stories of Nanu when he’d had a few too many when his emotions weren’t ignorable.

She spoke calmly to him, “Alright, Mr. Nanu. I think it’s time someone took you home and settled you down to bed. How’s that sound, hm?”

“Nah. Fack you… yous… purble poowfs.”

“Shush.. I’m taking you home, where you’ll be safe, okay?”

The old man grumbled something inaudibly as he lazily squirmed to get her hands off his shoulders, but she wouldn’t budge until an authoritative voice commanded from her right. Not two steps into guiding him forward and a local Police Officer ordered her away from him.

“Ma’am, I’m gonna have to ask you to step away from the drunkard. He could be dangerous and you’re out here alone with him.” 

Anabel raised a brow, not amused, but let Nanu go so neither would be in any potential danger of getting tazed. Nanu wobbled a little until he gained enough footing to walk and took the opportunity to start wandering away to find safety elsewhere.

“Dangerous? He wouldn’t hurt a cutiefly like this.”

“Ma’am, you’re here alone with someone who’s clearly had several too many gins.... How are you not scared?”

“I’d be more afraid of being alone with you than being alone with an angry beedrill army...” She stated coldly, folding her arms. “And, with all do respect, I am more qualified to handle an intoxicated colleague than you could ever be. The one in danger here is you.”

“Haha. Very funny.” The officer blandly retorted. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”

“Do you  _ want _ to test your luck with me?”

Both were too distracted to notice he’d gone missing, even when he’d stopped dead a semi-short ways off and instinctively lurched forward to vomit before continuing on, his hands on his stomach. As Nanu wobbled farther away, no longer within earshot of their bickering, the only thing running through his mind now was the word  _ ‘safe’ _ .

Hala was the first to come to mind, but his last semblance of common sense told him that his fellow Kahuna was too far away. He’d fall off the ferry and drown before he got out of Ula’Ula waters.

‘Looker.’

  
  


* * *

  
  


Rustling around in his sheets, Looker could hardly sleep. His mind wasn’t focused on a mission. There was no mission to focus on, now. He was left to restlessly fret over a man he’s missed for so long. 

He’d spent 28 years with him in Interpol, so he also knew his real reaction to seeing him. He could see it in those beautiful ruby’s. When he stared at them, they stared back, a flicker of fire ignited to life by potential danger like the old days. The joy of the thrill. But when met with his tourmalines?... 

A blazing wildfire erupted behind them, a hurricane battling to snuff it out to no avail and in the eye of it. Static. 

He remembered.

Of course he remembered.

Looker had gotten too distracted by sudden mission intel to call that night. Anxiety took over the following times he’d tried to pick up the phone and dial the number, too afraid he wouldn’t understand, but knowing somewhere in his mind that he would if he just explained. That tug and pull lasted a year before he’d figured the damage had been done. He no longer had an excuse. So he took to his work even harder, refusing to let his mind rest, just so he didn’t have to think about him. So he didn’t have to think about anything but the mission at hand.

Now there wasn’t one. and of course, Anabel wanted to explore the region. She hadn’t gotten the chance to last time she was here.

_ Joy. _

He was happy she was having fun and now that there were no UBs around, they needn’t worry about her getting hurt. What she wanted to do wasn’t the issue.

He simply felt… tormented. The man he wanted was so close and yet he felt so much more distant from him now than in any other region. It was agonizing.

Looker viciously twisted out of the bed, fumbled out of his pajamas while making his way to the bathroom and desperately tried to figure out the shower faucet. When the sound of something other than his still beating heart and the yelling subconscious in his head hit his ears, he gave the world an unspoken thanks.

It was a blessing that the water was so warm, because the air in the motel outside his covers was chilly. He stood still, letting the water roll down his body until the aching in his heart subsided. 

It was replaced with alarm.

He’d heard a crashing sound in his room. Quickly, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, grabbing a plunger and holding it up like a bat, ready to swing. 

Looker threw open the door of the bathroom. He glanced towards his door, only to see it still closed and locked. When he turned his head to his window, he jumped. Jerky movements from the human on the floor startled him.

He threw the plunger, screeching. Sent it flying towards the blur only for it to miss and stick to the wall behind him.

The person burped and made a grumbling noise. Looker was thrown off by this and paused, finally getting a good look at the scene.

His rooms bedside window was open, the nightstand had been knocked over and a vase was broken. The person on the floor?

Nanu.

Drunken, disheveled, covered in bumps, bruises, scrapes, some dirt and a tad of puke on his flip flops. 

If Nanu were anyone else, Looker would have arrested him for breaking and entering and public intoxication. However, this was Nanu… and this was normal for Nanu when he used alcohol to cope with emotions he couldn’t handle sober. Always sneaking into the home of the person he knew would keep him safe. Only four people in the world have this happen. Him, Hala, 007 and Nanu’s older brother.

Looker began putting on his pajamas, “Well, at least you still have your survival instincts.. among other skills.”

By the time Looker had his shirt on, Nanu was already on his feet, albeit hardly able to stay that way. Nanu made a pouty mad-face. He was trying to look stern, but it gave the opposite effect. Like a kitten hissing. Endearing.

“Sshfuck you.. youse…. um..”

An amusedly expectant brow raised, Looker granting Nanu an attentive smirk. He couldn’t help it. 

“Not going to finish that insult, Nanu?”

The smile faded when Nanu abruptly darted for him after giving him a teary-eyed stare. Looker had to move quickly to catch his former partner so he didn’t hurt himself moving so fast. Nanu all but latched onto him, burying his face in Lookers chest and began to weep.

Again Looker was stunned, but it didn’t take much to snap himself out of it. He knew why Nanu was crying, why he’d been drinking. It’d been reflecting in the man's eyes since they unofficially reunited.

Slowly, Looker started to wrap his arms around Nanu, but Nanu suddenly stumbled back. Looker caught him, grabbing Nanu’s wrists to keep him upright but once the Kahuna was steadied, he’d yanked his hands away. He was still crying, the tears not showing any signs of stopping. Looker kept his hands and arms at the ready in case he needed assistance keeping upright, but he gawked at Nanu in worry.

“Youses a shffuckin’ ashhole! I waded sephen years fer you to cawll me! and ya diffn’t!!”

A fist clumsily swung Lookers direction, Looker carefully palming it like he remembered 007 would do and letting it lazily bounce off.

“Nanu, I know.. I am very sorry-”

“Shaddup!”

Another fist, another palm deflecting it delicately. Looker had to take a step back to keep Nanu at a distance he could manage. He was growing more worried by the moment, but also more.. upset. Nanu’s face was flushed almost as red as his eyes, soaking wet from the rush of tears pouring down his cheeks, chest hitching, a running nose and quivering mouth.

He knew there’d be damage, but not this much. Looker never thought there would be a moment to top Nanu’s emotional outburst over the faller incident after hearing Anabel got recruited. Now, without a doubt, there is one. The moment Looker bore witness to how terribly he’d broken Nanu’s heart.

“I lovsed youse!”

A third attempt to Looker, then a fourth, then a fifth, all easily blocked by Looker simply putting his palm in front of the fist. Despite this, he felt his own heart start to crumble.

“Youse phromised, Davi’! Ya diffn’ keep it! I thfought you w’s dead… FACK YOU!..”

Once again, he tried to hit Looker, succeeding and landing on the taller man's chest, but Nanu was so tired that Looker hardly budged. Looker had let him get one in. Nanu didn’t care.

“Yoused phromised… an’ I still.. loves you..”

Both men stood as still as they could, heads down. Nanu eventually shuffled over and slumped into Looker, who sighed through his nose and held him, let his own tears fall wordlessly.

Neither stirred much for a few minutes. They simply allowed themselves to cry. It was mostly peaceful. 

Then a hiccup forced Looker to make a mad dash for the bathroom with a sickly green Nanu. Looker remained by Nanu’s side to comfort him while the Kahuna expelled the remnants of the alcohol, giving him water where he could.

* * *

  
  
  


Before dawn the next morning, Looker got a call from Anabel, wondering where Nanu was and he told her. That he’d broken in. If had told her everything, she would certainly have flipped. She was still less than enthused about what she knew.

“Wait! So let me get this straight. He broke into your motel room?”

Confused, Looker’s brows furrowed, resting his elbow on the side of the tub to hold the phone more comfortably.

“... Yes.”

“And you’re not bothered by this? At all?!”

“Why would I be???”

He restrained from pulling the phone away from his ear.

“LOOKER. YOU ACT LIKE THIS IS THE MOST NORMAL THING TO HAPPEN IN THE PAST 24 HOURS.”

“It  _ is _ the most normal thing to happen in the last 24 hou-”

_ Beep... Beep... Beep… Beep. _ He flipped the phone closed, shaking his head.

Looker let out a deep sigh, “I elect to believe she went to bed.. What do think, Nanu?”

The Agent turned his gaze down at the sound of a half-hearted grumble, Nanu nuzzled into Lookers side, snoozing soundly with droplets of tears pricking the corner of his eyes. His arms were lazily folded around Lookers waist, one hand loosely on the mans fuzzy nightshirt and the other clasping a handful of it. The lower half of him was curled up on the floor against him. Looker was mindlessly massaging Nanu’s head, staring loving at the older cop. He loved this idiot and he had no idea how to put into words how much he missed him over those seven years.

“I will keep you safe, Nanu.. That is a promise that I  _ can _ keep.”


End file.
